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On the Thursday night show, Leroy Bell's voice was heard before the mic even reached his mouth

Fox admitted to lip syncing on its singing competition "X Factor" after contestant Leroy Bell was heard singing on Thursday's episode before he even held his microphone to his mouth.

"All survival songs are performed live, with just a backing track," a show representative said in a statement to TheWrap. "For the group ensemble performance, the vocals are pre-recorded to allow acts to concentrate on preparing for their own live competitive performances on Wednesdays — this is also no different to what other competition shows do for ensemble performances."

That may be the case — but "X Factor" got caught. The sight of Bell raising the mic to his mouth only after his voice was heard elicited scorn from fans online. He was performing as part of an opening medley, not in competition.